The Other Side Of The Berlin Wall: Life On A Street In 1980s East Germany

“Everyone seemed to feel connected to the place and responsible for it, to be acting in tacit consensus and always working to save the diversity of their island from the sea of gray for as long as possible” – Harf Zimmermann

Frau Töpfer with her grandson René.

In 1981, Harf Zimmermann (born: Dresden 1955) moved into a flat on Hufelandstrasse, East Berlin. His photographs of life on an a street marked by roomy pre-war apartments, ornate foyers, linden trees and family-run business. Hufelandstrasse was a rare survivor from a bygone age of capitalism and color. “In a word, it was less gray,” Mr. Zimmermann said. “There was more color.”

Hufelandstrasse’s look changed significantly during the decade he lived there, Mr. Zimmermann said. Many of the beautiful balconies that gave the apartment buildings their special character were removed in 1985 because of safety concerns. Later, when leaking gas lines polluted the soil, the linden trees died and were cut down. Mr. Zimmermann moved to nearby Mitte in 1991, seeking more space and a change of scenery. After a small gallery show in 1989, his photos of Hufelandstrasse sat untouched in a box for two decades.

Two painters from the cooperative “Decorative Construction and Living” finish painting the stairway entrance to my building, No. 31, 1987

Galow’s snack bar, Mr. and Mrs. Galow in the middle, their son on the right, No. 31, 1986

The Schramm family, father, mother and son, and their employee (second from left) in front of their fruit and vegetable shop, No. 3, 1986.

ünter (pantomime performer) and a private parade for a child’s birthday, 1987.